King James "Queen For A Day" Pageant

Fast forward to today and the self-proclaimed King of Akron, LeBron James who departed from his expiring obligation with his employer, the Cleveland Cavaliers. “The Decision” was preceded by a high stakes auction process that culminated with an over-hyped reality TV show.  Is this a great country, or what?

There were numerous losers in this process. The winner is yet to be determined. In the spirit and format of Queen for a Day, let’s look at two tales of misfortune.  The pro basketball fans of northern Ohio and the owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Dan Gilbert.

• Living in a city known to some as the mistake by the lake
• Losing their NFL franchise to Baltimore in 1996
• Bitterly watching their former team, the Baltimore Ravens, win the 2001 Super Bowl
• Awarded an expansion franchise, the new Cleveland Browns that has mostly floundered since their inception
• Their baseball team, the Cleveland Indians has a record of long-standing futility exceeded only by our Chicago Cubs
• The Cavaliers’ best teams were never quite able to get past Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls in the NBA playoffs
• Now, they have lost their hometown hero, the most athletic basketball talent with no compensation other than gaining salary cap space

Contestant #2: Dan Gilbert, Owner of the Cleveland

• Despite Mr. Gilbert’s wealth and power he was unable to secure the loyalty of his team’s most valuable asset.
• His “sales” team that was charged with the task of retaining their single, 25 year old millionaire star resorted to using custom cartoons to compete against the lure of Miami’s South Beach social scene and what eventually proved to be a more talented team roster.
• His other business, Quicken Loans, is a mortgage lender.
• In the heat of the moment following “The Decision”, Mr. Gilbert publicly published a bitter, vengeance laced letter to our Contestant #1, the Cavaliers fans.

I believe that writing that letter was a valuable and therapeutic venting exercise for him as it can be for you.  But, publishing it was a potentially tragic mistake. In the midst of an emotionally charged event, you need to be aware of your emotions and avoid allowing them to drive counterproductive behavior.  In Mr. Gilbert’s case he would have better off emulating Abraham Lincoln’s practice of writing down his thoughts, putting the paper in a drawer overnight to be reread the next morning to decide if it was necessary to send. For Lincoln, it never was.

Instead of writing and publishing your emotionally charged thoughts, instead write, reflect and destroy. Discretion is the better part of valor. Despite all of Dan Gilbert’s past success, he will now be best known to many as a really sore loser.  So the next time you’re mad as hell and want to share a piece of your mind, don’t Gilbert the situation by sharing publicly.  Be aware of your emotions and their potential to influence ill advised actions. Instead consider venting in private and perhaps share your issue with your trusted advisors and allow cooler heads to prevail. Then, like Lincoln, let it go.